Yesterday morning, my car engine hiccuping and pausing when I started it, I drove to the car repair place. The service fellow told me they could check it out at 4. So, I left to do some errands, the car running pretty good. I spent a few minutes at the computer repair place, then got back into the car. It wouldn't start, quiet as a doornail. The noonday sun was hot when a pop-a-lock guy arrived half an hour later. He started the engine with jumper cables, and agreed to follow me to the repair shop. Every light turned red as I approached, so it took a while. I frequently glanced up at the rearview mirror, comforted to see the little pop-a-lock vehicle behind me. About a mile from the destination, I noticed the needle of the gas gauge was WAY below EMPTY. For the first time, I felt a bit of panic. Had someone emptied my tank? It was over half full the day before. Then I saw NONE of the gauges were working, the speedometer on zero, the engine temperature gauge drooping down to colder than cold. The car was hot, the air conditioner silent as well. I was is a rush of traffic, and so pulled to the right lane to slow a bit.

Up ahead was the left turn into the service shop. The pop-a-lock guy beeped his horn and sped on his way. I changed lanes, rolled up into the driveway, started to shift into reverse to park when I realized the engine was now completely dead. Struggling with the frozen steering wheel, I pointed it forward to the nearest spot. We rolled almost all the way in before coming to a complete and silent stop.

I counted my blessings, checked in with the service guy, and walked home. They outfitted the car with a new alternator and a battery. I walked back to the shop, paid the bill, retrieved the doctored vehicle, drove home with a pizza, and all is good.